Cigar-lighter



Fel). 6, 1934. 1 H, COHEN 1,945,597

CIGAR LIGHTER Original Filed Oct. 4, 1926 MWHLEL.

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A T RNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Original application October 4, 1926, Serial No.

139,354. Divided and this application June 7,

1928. Serial No. 283,628

8 Claims. (Cl. 5519-32) This invention relates to cigar-lighters, and more particularly to igniting units for cigarlighters adapted for use with commercial currents. This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 139,354, filed October 4, 1926.

Heretofore, there have been many proposals of electric cigar-lighters intended for use with commercial currents of about 110 voltage, but these, for the most part, have failed to go into general use. Some involved the use of transformers, and hence were not universal to both alternating and direct currents; some had extra resistances in their bases which would heat-up and thus increase the lire hazard; some had heating or igniting elements of such size that an excessive amount of heat would be developed, making it uncomfortably hot for persons using the cigar-lighters; and some, by reason of their necessary sizes and forms, were unsuitable for use on a table or desk in an ofce or home.

Hence, an object of this invention is to provide an electric-lighter for commercial currents, which has none of the disadvantages above referred to, and yet which can be economically made, so that its cost to the customer will be relatively small.

This application embraces the heating or igniting unit which, according to the present invention, is so made that substantially all of the heat energy produced is conned to a zone limited in area to that of the mouth of an ordinary pipe bowl, and the said zone is inwardly removed and actually spaced from the sides of the holder, so that no appreciable amount of heat will reach the sides of the holder to heat the same. Hence, danger of the user burning his hands while grasping the holder in using the cigar-lighter is avoided. Moreover, the heating unit, according to this invention, is so arranged that no amount of vheat is transferred to the holder by either convection or conduction while the cigar-lighter is being used.

Even though it has these structural and functional advantages, the heating unit of this invention is so arranged that it may be removed from and replaced in the holder as aV unit with safety and without danger of the person performing the operation being shocked.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing, which shows the form of the invention as at present preferred'- Figure 1 is a plan View of the top of the igniting 55 unit of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the igniting unit shown in Fig. 1, showing part of the holder for the unit in dot-and-dash lines.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the igniting unit.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the disassembled 60. parts of the heating or igniting unit, showing one part above the other in the order in which the parts are put together upon each other.

The igniting unit of the present invention is adapted to be removably supported in a suitable holding device and comprises a coil 10 of high resistance wire wound in helical form and laid in a spiral groove 11 formed in a disk 12-of porcelain or other nre-resisting or refractory material which reflects a substantial amount of 7()` heat developed in the coil 10 to the smokers article to be ignited which is held directly above the device for the purpose. Beneath theV disk 12 there is placed a disk 13 of mica or other heat-reflecting material whose function is to refleet any heat coming from the coil 10 or disk 12 up against the disk and thus retard the downward passage of heat developed in the coil 10. Directly beneath the mica disk 13 and supporting the same is a relatively thick cylindrical block 14 SQ of asbestos wool or other heat-resisting and heatinsulating material. This block 14 prevents any heat which is reflected past or thru the mica disk 13 from passing downwardly into the holder for the igniting unit. The block of asbestos is backed by a plate 15 of porcelain which has a cup 16 to receive the lower end of the block. The bottom part or" the backing plate 15 is reduced at 17 to substantially t the lip of a holder 18, indicated in dot-and-dash lines, so that the flange 19 of 90 the backing plate 15 rests on the supporting member 18.

The above described parts of the igniting unit are secured together to form a unitary structure, which may be placed in and taken out of a holder 18 as such, by screw-threaded rods 20, 21 and 22 having heads located in countersunk apertures in the disk 12 and drawing the parts together and holding them so by means of Vscrew-threaded members 23, 24 and 25 respectively, the member 100 25 being an ordinary nut, while the members 23 and 24 constitute contacts, as hereinafter described.

Direct contact of the smolcers article with the coil 10 is prevented by a cover disk 26 of mica which covers the porcelain disk 12 and which has apertures 27 therein to permit the heat developed in the coil 10 to pass therethrough to the smokers article. This mica disk 26 is securely held in 110 place on the disk 12 by a ferrule 28 surrounding A the disk 12 and having a flange 29 overlying the cover disk 26. The ferrule 28 is secured to the disk 12 by spinning the lower edge of the ferrule over the lower edge of the disk 12,

It should be noted that the mica disk 26 covers the apertures in the disk 12 in which the screws 20, 21 and 22 are located, and that consequently the device cannot be tampered with without practicably destroying it by the removal of the ferrule 28.

As thus constructed, the igniting unit may be inserted in a supporting member by placing the backing plate 15 on the upper edge of the holder 18. The igniting unit is secuied in this position by a guard 30 which bears down upon the flange 19 provided on the backing-plate 15 and which is indicated in dothand-dash lines in Fig. 2.

In order that the heat generated by the coil 10 may be drawn by suction therethrough and by a natural draft, the present invention provides perforations 3l in the disk 12 and spaces the bottom of the disk 12 from the mica disk 13 by legs 32 formed on the disk 12. In addition, the lgniting unit is spaced inwardly from the guard 30 so as to allow air to follow the paths of the arrows shown in Fig. 2, that is, down between the guard 30 and the igniting unit, then under the disk 12 through the spaces provided by the legs 32, then up through the perforations 31 in the disk 12, past the coil 10 where it is heated, and out thru the apertures 27 in the mica cover disk 26 to the smokers article.

In order that current may be carried to the coil 10, the inner end of the coil is placed under the head oi' the screw 21 which, at its lower end, is provided with the contact member 24; and the outer end of the coil is placed under the head of the screw 20 which at its lower end is provided with the contact member 23 which is slit so as to frictionally engage the sides of a socket in which it may be placed.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to obtain Letters-Patent, is:-

l. A heating unit for electric cigar-lighters for house currents, comprising a coil of resistance wire; a porcelain disk in which said wire is mounted; a mica disk located directly beneath said porcelain disk and adapted to reflect heat generated by said coil upwardly toward said porcelain disk; a relativley thick block of loose asbestos wool for supporting said mica disk and porcelain disk, said loose asbestos wool being adapted to prevent the passage through it of heat generated in the coil and passing through the mica disk; and a base member of rigid material for supporting said block of loose asbestos wool.

2. A heating unit for electric cigar-lighters for house currents, comprising a coil of resistance wire; a porcelain disk in which said wire is mounted, said porcelain disk being provided with apertures through which air is drawn by suction when a smokers article is being lighted; a mica disk spaced from said porcelain disk, located directly beneath the said disk and adapted to reflect heat generated by said coil and passing through said apertures in said porcelain disk toward said disk; a relatively thick block of loose asbestos wool supporting said mica disk and por celain disk, said loose asbestos wool being adapted to prevent the passage through it of heat generated in said coil and passing through said apertures and said mica disk; and a base member o1' rigid material for supporting said bed of asbestos wool.

3. A heating unit for electric cigar-lighters for house currents, comprising a coil of resistance wire; a porcelain disk in which said wire is mounted, said porcelain disk being provided with apertures through which air is drawn by suction when a smokers article is being lighted; a mica disk spaced from said porcelain disk, located directly beneath the said disk and adapted to reilect heat generated by said coil and passing through said apertures in said porcelain disk toward said disk; a relatively thick block of loose asbestos wool supporting said mica disk and porcelain disk, said loose asbestos wool being adapted to prevent the passage through it of heat generated in said coil and passing through said apertures and said mica disk; and a rigid base member having a cupped-portion for receiving and supporting said block of asbestos wool.

4. A heating unit for electric cigar-lighters for house curents, comprising a resistance element; a resistance element holder of high proof refractory material; a heat reflecting member located beneath the said resistance element holder; an insulator supporting said heat reflecting member and resistance element holder, said insulator being non-conductive of heat; a base member for supporting said insulator; and bolts passing through the resistance holder, heat reflecting member, insulator, and base member adapted to hold the same together as a unit.

5. A heating unit for electric cigar-lighters for house currents, comprising a resistance element; a resistance element holder of high proof refractory material; a heat reilecting member located beneath the said resistance element holder; an insulator supporting said heat reflecting member and resistance element holder, said insulator being non-conductive of heat; a base member for supporting said insulator; and bolts passing through the resistance holder, heat reilecting member, insulator, and base member adapted to hold the same together as a unit, at least one of said bolts being electrically connected with one end of the resistance elements and having at its lower end a switch-contact lug.

6. A heating unit for electric cigar-lighters for house currents, comprising a resistance element; a resistance element holder of high proof refractory material; an insulator supporting said re sistance element holder, said insulator being nonconductive of heat; a base said insulator; and bolts passing through the resistance holder, insulator, and base member adapted to hold the same together as a unit, at least one of said bolts being electrically connected with one end of the resistance elements and having at its lower end a contact lug.

7. A heating unit for cigar-lighters, comprising a base member having a cupped portion; an intermediate member non-conductive of heat tting in the cupped portion of the base member and supported thereby; a resistance element; and a resistance element holder having legs supported by the intermediate member and spacing the body portion of the resistance element holder from the intermediate member gap therebetween, said base member having a circumferential shoulder adapted to engage a housing in which the unit is supported.

8. A heating unit for cigar-lighters, comprising a base member having a cupped portion; an

member for supporting i' to provide an air intermediate member fitting in the cupped po and supported thereby; a resi a resistance element holder ed by the intermediate mem body portion of th from the intermedi gap therebetween,

non-conductive o! heat rtion of the base member stance element; and

legs supportber and spacing the e resistance element holder r to provide an air said base member having a `first-named shoulder in rm engagement with the housing.

JOSEPH H. COHEN. 

